Sony's new controller for the PlayStation 4: now with share button and sensor bar.

Sony's video games division have finally revealed the long anticipated PlayStation 4 at a high-profile event in New York. Or rather, they've revealed how the PS4 will function. The actual form the console will take remains a mystery, but what seems clear is that it will be a powerful machine capable of some very showy graphics.

Yet while the first confirmed PS4 titles – such as Killzone: Shadowfall and Infamous: Second Sons – deliver visuals that knock on the door of film CGI, it's the console's other features that offer the most surprising revelations.

Sony promises that, as with a smartphone or tablet, the PS4 will boot up and go to sleep instantaneously. It's intended to almost eradicate loading and download times, and the platform is expected to learn how individuals make use of the hardware, streamlining their experience based on their behaviour. The controller, meanwhile, takes the established gamepad form but introduces a touch-sensitive front and a share button for social networking. There's also a sensor bar to allow gesture control as made famous by the Wii.

Questions remain, such as how accessible the device will be to independent games studios, but early indications suggest the PS4 will be both a muscular powerhouse and a forward-thinking games machine.